SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Germany to investigate suspected 417 km/h Autobahn racer

Car-mad Germany may be known for its speed limit-less Autobahns, but a Czech businessman's suspected 417 kilometre-per-hour (260 mph) drag down a stretch of motorway has run into trouble with local law enforcement.

A sports car speeds down the Autobahn
A racing car speeds down the Autobahn. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Maserati | Lorenzo Marcinno

The prosecutor’s office in Stendal in the northern state of Saxony-Anhalt said it had launched a probe into a potential illegal race over the incident.

The wealthy sports car owner from the Czech Republic posted videos of the drive in a Bugatti Chiron on YouTube, bringing attention to the incident.

“We thank God for the safety and good circumstances”, Radim Passer wrote in the video description on his channel.

Some of the videos display a virtual speedometer which reaches 417 km/h on a stretch of motorway between Berlin and Magdeburg, to the west of the capital.

READ ALSO: German Autobahns to remain speeders’ paradise as parties rule out limits

While the recordings were made in the middle of last year, the videos were only recently posted online but have since been viewed millions of times.

In response to comments that said the drive was irresponsible and dangerous, Passer said he had had “good visibility” and highlighted his Bugatti’s braking power.

Highway police initiated an investigation after the feat was reported widely across different media.

The results were handed over to the prosecutor’s office, which began a legal assessment of the incident.

According to the criminal code, a solo drive can still be classed as a prohibited race if the driver “advances at an inappropriate speed and in a manner that grossly violates the traffic code and is reckless.”

Germany’s Transport Minister Volker Wissing condemned the driver’s attitude, noting that while there is no speed limit, the car should always be “under control”.

Others have used the incident to make the case for introducing a legal limit, including the premier of Lower Saxony state, Stephan Weil, who told Spiegel magazine there were “many good reasons” to cap speed on motorways, including the environment and safety.

READ ALSO: Majority of Germans ‘want Autobahn speed limit’

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

SHOW COMMENTS